Charles Dickens' Great Expectations

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Charles Dickens' Great Expectations Great expectations the story of an orphan boy and his adventures is one of Charles Dickens best loved novels, written in 1861. In this essay I am going to analyze and compare different aspects of the novel including the relationship changes between Magwitch and Pip and Havisham and Pip. The first character we are introduced to is Pip, who is also the narrator. The narration shows that it is an older more intelligent Pip telling the story as it is written in past tense and first person, the sentences are quite long and well structured and the language used is very formal as if it is written by a mature adult with experience. At the start of the novel Pip is just an innocent little orphan boy, a kind and friendly child even though he has such a hard life. The first paragraph informs the reader that Pip is an orphan. 'As I never saw my father and mother and never saw any likeness of either of them (For their days were long before days of photographs), my first fancies regarding what they were like, were unreasonably derived from their tombstones.' This is an obvious indication that Pip is an orphan. Pips life relates to the real conditions of orphans in Victorian England although they were not as harsh. Normally orphans were made to go to a workhouse, or like Pip they could live with other relatives. We realise that Pip is a kind child in the first scene where Pip helps the convict and brings him the file and food.' You know what a file is', 'Yes, sir', 'And you know what wittles is', 'Yes, sir.' This shows Pip is polite and willing to do whatever he is told. Pip believes that the convict will rip out his liver, unless he does what he is told. ' You fail, or you go from my words in partickler, no matter how small it is, and your heart and your liver shall be tore out, roasted and ate.

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